This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the
government of each
U.S. state, the
District of Columbia and the organized
territories of the United States, exercise its
authority
In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...
. While most states (39 of the 50) use the term "capitol" for their state's
seat of government
The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority".
In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...
, Indiana and Ohio use the term "Statehouse" and eight states use "State House": Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont.
Delaware has a "Legislative Hall". The State of Alabama has a
State Capitol
This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...
, but the Legislature has, since 1985, met in the
State House
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
.
A capitol typically contains the meeting place for its state's
legislature and offices for the state's
governor, though this is not true for every state. The legislatures of
Alabama,
Nevada, and
North Carolina meet in other nearby buildings, but their governor's offices remain in the capitol. The
Arizona State Capitol is now strictly a museum and both the legislature and the governor's office are in nearby buildings. Only Arizona does not have its governor's office in the state capitol, though in
Delaware,
Ohio,
Michigan,
Vermont, and
Virginia, the offices there are for ceremonial use only.
In nine states, the state's
highest court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
also routinely meets in the capitol:
Indiana,
Kentucky,
Nebraska,
North Dakota,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
(both
civil
Civil may refer to:
*Civic virtue, or civility
*Civil action, or lawsuit
* Civil affairs
*Civil and political rights
*Civil disobedience
*Civil engineering
*Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism
*Civilian, someone not a membe ...
and
criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
courts),
Pennsylvania (one of three sites),
South Dakota,
West Virginia, and
Wisconsin. The other 40 states have separate buildings for their supreme courts, though in
Michigan,
Minnesota, and
Utah the high court also has ceremonial meetings at the capitol.
Eleven of the fifty state capitols do not feature a dome: Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Forty-four capitols are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, marked with ''NRHP''. Nineteen of those are further designated as
National Historic Landmarks, marked with ''NHL''.
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State capitols
Territorial and federal district capitols
See also
*
List of capitals in the United States
*
Chickasaw Nation Capitols
The historic Chickasaw Nation Capitols are located in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. The property consists of Chickasaw Council House Museum and the Chickasaw Nation Capitol building, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
...
*
Chickasaw Capitol Building
*
Choctaw Capitol Building
References
External links
Cupolas of Capitalism State Capitol Building Histories ''Cupola.com''.
{{USStateLists
*
Capitols
Capitols
U.S. state and territorial capitols